New York () — Adorable or creepy? When it comes to the Furby, it depends who you ask.
Furby, the 1990s toy phenomenon that pitted kids and parents against each other when it hit store shelves and quickly became a craze, is back.
Hasbro, the maker of Furby, announced Thursday the reintroduction of this bug-eyed, nonsense-talking furball. The latest version of the animatronic toy went on sale on Amazon this Thursday and will hit stores nationwide on July 15, after a nearly 10-year absence.
The new Furby, which costs $70 and is available in purple and coral, is very similar to the original, but a little cuter. He is interactive and responds to hugs, pats on the head, and tickles. You can also pretend to feed him a tiny pizza.
Hasbro’s new Furby went on sale on Amazon this Thursday. The latest version of the classic ’90s toy will hit stores on July 15. Credit: Hasbro
He’s still loud, talks incoherently and dances. The toy has five voice-activated modes, over 600 phrases, jokes and songs, and built-in lights and sounds.
Hasbro says Furby’s return marks the anniversary of the iconic toy.
“For the brand’s 25th anniversary, we wanted to spark the same excitement in this new generation by harnessing the nostalgic power of Furby and giving the Alpha generation everything they crave,” said Kristin McKay, Hasbro vice president and general manager (fashion and preschool). ), it’s a statement. The alpha generation includes anyone born from 2010 to now.
The new Furby. Credit: Hasbro
Hasbro first introduced Furby in 1998.
The original Furby, much to the horror of parents and its younger followers, had no kill switch, putting children and adults completely at its mercy, day or night, when it randomly “woke” from a silent slumber. and began to speak. (The only way to completely silence it was to remove the batteries.)
It is not surprising, then, that the furry toy ended up being mercilessly thrown to the bottom of the cabinets. Even so, Hasbro said it sold more than 40 million Furby toys worldwide in the first three years since its release.
In 2016, Hasbro released Furby Connect, a version of the toy that incorporated Bluetooth for updating content via an app and a power off button.
Furby’s latest return isn’t entirely surprising, said Jim Silver, a toy industry expert and CEO of Toys, Tots, Pets & More, an industry review website.
“Furby was released 25 years ago. The kids who played it were between the ages of six and eight and are now in their late 30s. They’re the perfect demographic for parents with young children who remember Furby and want to introduce it to their kids,” he says. Silver.
In addition, Silver says that the revival of classic toys is part of a continuing industry trend, as other toymakers strive to appeal to the nostalgia of classic toys. millennials with small children.
“There’s a saying in the toy industry that old is new again,” he said. Transformers, Ninja Turtles and Barney are some of the classics that toymakers are bringing back.
Whether Furby will spark the same mania it did in 1998 remains to be seen. “Replicating a fad is hard,” says Silver.
